this is balanced, we shall have reason to change our opinion, and be convinced that the humble man, strengthened with fuch an alliance, is far from being fo overmatched as at first fight he may appear; nay I believe one might venture to go further and engage for it, that in all fuch cafes where real fortitude and true perfonal courage were wanted, he is much more likely to give proof of it, and I would fooner look for it in such a temper than in that of his adversary. Pride may make a man violent,—but Humility will make him firm :-and which of the two, do you think, likely to come off with honour?-he who acts from the changeable impulfe of heated blood, and follows the uncertain motions of his pride and fury, or the man who stands cool and collected in himself;-who governs his refentments inftead of being governed by them, and on every occasion acts upon the steady motives of principle and duty.

SERMON. XXV. P. 193.

WITH regard to the provocations and offences which are unavoidably happening to a man in his commerce with the world,-take it as a rule, as a man's pride is,-fo is always his dif pleasure; as the opinion of himself rifes,-fo does the injury, fo does his refentment: 'tis this which gives edge and force to the inftrument which has ftruck him,and excites that heat in the wound which renders it incurable,

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See

"See how different the cafe is with the humble man: one half of these painful conflicts he actually efcapes; the other part fall lightly on him : -he provokes no man by contempt; thrufts himself forward as the mark of no man's envy; fo that he cuts off the first fretful occafions of the greatest part of thefe evils; and for thofe in which the paffions of others would involve him, like the humble fhrub in the valley, gently gives way, and scarce feels the injury of thofe ftormy encounters which rend the proud cedar, and tear it up by its roots.

SERMON XXV. P. 190.

TH

PRID E.

HE proud man, fee! he is fore all over; touch him-you put him to pain: and though of all others, he acts as if every mortal was void of fenfe and feeling, yet is poffeffed with fo nice and exquifite a one himself, that the flights, the little neglects and inftances of difefteem, which would be scarce felt by another man, are perpetually wounding him, and oft times piercing him to his very heart.

SERMON XXIV. P. 174,

Pride is a vice which grows up in fociety fo infenfibly-teals in unobferved upon the heart upon fo many occafions ;-forms itself

R 3

upon fuch

ftrange

frange pretenfions, and when it has done, veils itfelf under fuch a variety of unfufpected appearances, fometimes even under that of Humility itfelf;-in all which cafes, Self-love, like a falfe friend, instead of checking, moft treacherously feeds this humour,-points out fome excellence in every foul to make him vain, and think more highly of himself than he ought to think ;-that upon the whole, there is no one weakness into which the heart of man is more eafily betrayed or which requires greater helps of good fenfe and good principles to guard againft.

SERM. XXIV. P. 177.

BEAUTY.

BEAUTY

EAUTY has fo many charms, one knows Dot how to fpeak against it; and when it happens that a graceful figure is the habitation of a virtuous foul, when the beauty of the face fpeaks out the modefty and humility of the mind, and the juftnefs of the proportion railes our thoughts up to the heart and wifdom of the great Creator fomething may be allowed it,and fomething to the embellishments which fet it off; and yet, when the whole apology is read, it will be found at laft, that Beauty, like Truth, never is fo glorious as when it goes the plaineft. SERM. XXIV. P. 187.

WISDOM.

WIS DO M.

ESSONS of Wifdom have never fuch power

over us, as when they are wrought into the heart through the ground-work of a story which engages the paffions: Is it that we are like iron, and must first be heated before we can be wrought upon? or, is the heart fo in love with deceit, that where a true report will not reach it, we must cheat it with a fable, in order to come at the truth,

SERM, XX. P. 93.

OF

HUNG E R.

Fall the terrors of nature, that of one day or other dying by hunger, is the greatest, and it is wifely wove into our frame to awaken min to industry, and call forth his talents; and though we seem to go on carelessly, sporting with it as we do with other terrors,-yet, he that fees this enemy fairly, and in his most frightful fhape, will need no long remonstrance to make him turn out of the way to avoid him, SERM, XX. P. 98.

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DISTRESS.

OTHING fo powerfully calls home the mind as diftrefs: the tenfe fibre then re

laxes,

laxes, the foul retires to itself,fits pensive and fufceptible of right impreffions: if we have a friend, 'tis then we think of him; if a benefactor, at that moment all his kindnesses prefs upon our mind.

SERM. XX. P. 97.

IM POSTURE.

WHAT

HAT a problematic fet of creatures does fimulation make us! who would divine that all that anxiety and concern, fo vifible in the airs of one half of that great assembly, should arife from nothing elfe, bút that the other half of it may think them to be men of confequence, penetration, parts and condu&t?What a noife amongst the claimants about it! Behold Humility out of mere pride and Honefly, almost out of knavery-Chastity never once in harm's way: and Courage like a Spanish foldier upon an Italian ftage a bladder full of wind..

Hark! that, the found of that trumpet,let not my foldier run,-it is fome good Chrif tian giving alms. OFITY! thou gentleft of human paffions! foft and tender are thy notes, and ill accord they with fo loud an instrument.

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Thus fomething jars, and will for ever jar in -thefe cafes.

Imposture